The present invention relates to a new and improved cord retainer which may be utilized in association with a portable electrical device having a cord.
A portable electrical device, that is, a hand held electrical device which is capable of being easily carried and transported, may have a cord which tends to become tangled and/or interfere with movement of the electrical device. It has previously been suggested that cords on portable electrical devices can be held by reel assemblies in the manner disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0137554 A1 and in United Kingdom Published Patent Application No. 2 351 485 A.
When a cord reel, similar to the cord reels in the aforementioned published patent applications, is used in association with a portable electrical device, the cord reel projects from the device. The projecting cord reel is bulky and tends to interfere with the portability of the electrical device. In addition, the projecting cord reel is detrimental to having a compact electrical device which can be readily used.
It has been suggested that a portable electrical device may be enclosed by a case or housing that is provided with a loop. The loop provides a convenient means of securing a headset and cord when they are not in use. A portable electrical device having such a case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,155.